1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a mechanism for holding two components, and more particularly to a hinge mechanism for a two-part electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of compact electronic devices, such as cellular telephones and portable computers, have come into general use with the advances in electronics technology in recent years. These compact devices have covers (henceforth referred to as clam-shaped electronic devices), which can be opened to a specific size to make the device easy to operate when the device is in use, and can be closed when the device is not in use to protect the keypad from inadvertent entries. Additionally, it prevents the screen from being damaged or exposed to dust.
The cellular clam-shaped phone has become in wide demand not only because it has the aforementioned advantages, but also because its cover is adapted to accommodate a variety of distinguished appearances for aesthetic purposes. Please refer to FIG. 1A, which shows a clam-shaped phone when its cover is closed. The clam-shaped phone 100 mainly includes a cover 110 and a main body 120. The cover 110 is horizontally pushed along the direction of arrow sign in FIG. 1B. After a displacement of the cover 110 is made relative to the main body 120, the cover 110 is positioned and then pivotally rotated relative to the main body 120 in the direction of arrow sign in FIG. 1C. It is easy to turn the cover 110 open simply by a push action.